Banister_The Trilogy of Distance, Speed and Time # 2011

7/22/2019 Banister_The Trilogy of Distance, Speed and Time # 2011

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The Trilogy of Distance,Speed and Time

David Banister

Transport Studies Unit

School of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of Oxford

January 2011


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1. Introduction

1. Growth in mobility

2. Transport geography

3. Dominance of time and speed

Outline of lecture

1. Lessons from history

2. Distance: land use planning and developmentand technology

3. Speed and time: as a social construct

4. Conclusions


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Distance travelled in France during the last two centuries(Km/person/day excluding walking and cycling)

2. Lessons from History


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Conventional views from Geographers

1. Transport as an enabling technology that facilitatesmass production and globalisation Knowles (2006)

2. Space time convergence leads to concentration andspecialisation of economic activity comparativeadvantage Janelle (1969)

3. New economic geography with increasing returns toscale and competitive advantage Krugman (1994)


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Where does

this lead toan air basednomadicexistence?


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Lessons from History - LondonDavid Greens unique study of commuting to theBespoke Tailors Henry Poole & Co 32 Savile Row

in the 1850s and the 1890s

Skilled artisans the new middle classes average trip length increasedfrom 2.2km to 4.5km over the 40 years


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Distance(metres)

1857-1877Number Per cent

1890-1899Number Per cent

0-999

1000-19992000-4999>5000

46

38708

28.4

23.543.24.9

12

122354

11.9

11.922.853.4

Total 162 100.0 101 100.0

()

1857-1877 max distance7kms and 95% less than5km to work

1890-1899 max distance10kms and


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London 1801 1.1m

1901 6.5m2001 7.2m

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

1801 1901 1951 2001

Inner

OuterTotal

Changing Density over Time

Density Population per sq mile


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Trips per Day in London (2007-8)

Trips within Inner London(19% of area)

Trips within Outer London(81% of area)

6,470,000 Trips (35% of total)Walk and Cycle 45%Public Transport 34%

Car 21%


Car 51%Trips between the Inner andOuter London

Trips between London andthe rest of Britain


Car 60%


Car 81%

(),


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3. DistanceSpace and place seen as distance with a physical

measure of travel planning has an instrumental role in

reducing trip lengths the Sustainable MobilityParadigm (Banister, 2008).

New technologies for transport in cities distance seenas a limitation as range of vehicles is constrained

TRIPS

Substitute or notmake them

DISTANCE

Shorten triplengths Landuse planning

MODE

Use of publictransport,walk and

cycle

EFFICIENCY

Load factorsFuels

EfficiencyDesign


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Land Use Planning and Development

Vision of the city in its desired form viability, vibrancy and

vitality and the role of transport

Land Use and Development Scale and Distance

1. Settlement size2. Strategic development location3. Strategic transport network

4. Density

Structural issues relating to urban form,mainly carried out at the regional and citylevels Physical distance, speed and

proximity operate longer distances

5. Jobs-housing balance6. Accessibility of key facilities7. Development site location

More local development issues, carried outat the city and local levels Accessibilityby public transport medium distances

8. Mix of uses9. Neighbourhood design + street layout10.Traffic demand management11.Parking and servicing

Local issues relating to theneighbourhood, where walking and cyclingare important, and there is a concern overshort distances and slowness

()


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PolicyArea

Desired PolicyOutcome

EconomicProsperity

HealthOutcomes

Enjoyment ofSpace

Roads

andStreets

An optimal balance

between movementand place functionsof roads and streets

Congestion

reduction andincreasedreliability

Increased

walking andcycling and lessemissions

Easier to

navigate andmore enjoyablestreets

ModalShift

Enable a widerchoice of mode oftravel than just thecar active traveland benefit to healthand environment

Congestionreductionthroughincreased bususe

Increasedwalking andcycling and lessemissions

Appreciation oflocalcommunity andenvironment

SpatialPlanning

Encourage the use ofspatial planning todevelop wellconnected mixed useurban areas

Reduce needto travelAgglomerationeffects

High qualitystreet designsencourageswalking andcycling and less

emissions

Mixed useareas with lesstraffic androads are morepleasant to be

in

(),

Impact on Quality of Life

Policy Analysis of Urban Transport


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Comment

1.Opportunity for flexible use of space

2.Shorter journeys means greater choice

of mode of transport

3.Sociable modes higher value onpeople and community (Gehl, 2004)


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1. Most trips are short distance London 60% < 5kms

2. Greenest transport = walk and cycle3. Potential for greater use of public transport

4. New technology niche, transition costs, incentives

Access for carsto cities limited

to EVs andmost efficient

ICEs

Technology

Much debate about the role of EVs in cities

5. Consumers are low risk takers and want no change?


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1. Trip lengths and accessibility

2. Motorbility role of car in city

3. Ownership sharing and rentals

4. Reallocation of space


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Comments on Distance

Urban Form Matters

1. Clear separation of space and different types ofuse - proximity

2. The role of car in the city and the role oftechnology to complement reductions in tripdistances slow more local travel

3. Co-benefits of reductions in travel distances through shorter trips (and times), through safertravel, through better air quality, through

reductions in GHG, through quieter spaces andthrough greater physical activity


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4. Speed and Time

Speed and time central to transport analysis and travel as aderived demand with the aim to minimise the generalised costs

of travel the expectation is that distances should be shortThe Changes in Travel Distance in Great Britain

(1972/1973 2009)

Trips/miles/hours/minutes/number

YearNumber of trips per person per year

All trips

Trips of1 mile or

more

Distancetravelled

(miles)

Timetaken

(hours)

Averagetrip length

(miles)

Averagetrip time

(minutes)1972/73 956 594 4,476 353 4.7 22.2

2002 1,047 819 7,135 380 6.8 21.8

2009 973 774 6,775 372 7.0 22.9

Source: DfT (2010), Table 2.1.


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Comment on Speed

1. Economic notions of more

choice through greater speed

individual benefits higher thansocietal welfare

2. Social costs as not all peoplehave access to the car some30% of the total population are

not able to drive

3. Environmental costs are alsohigh need to decarbonise

transport as higher speeds usemore energy

Giacomo Balla 1913

Abstract Speed - thecar has passed


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Travel Time and Travel Time Budgets

1. Travel time central to transport desire to save time as travel time is viewed as wasteful (Bruce Hamilton,

1989) and travel time should be minimised

2. Transport appraisal almost totally (80%) dependent onuser benefits resulting from time savings hence the

overwhelming desire to speed up travel3. Travel time budgets in the UK about 62 minutes a day

and these have remained constant over time (NTS)

4. Different figures from the UK time use survey suggest ahigher figure of about 72 minutes a day

5. Ignores international travel increasingly important and

the huge variability between people


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Comment on Time

1. Can time be viewed in a more

creative way as it varies

between individuals and overtime

2. Rather than concentrating ontime reduction, the means bywhich travel distances can be

reduced should become part ofthe debate

3. Can travel time be seen as

having a value and can be usedproductively

Giacomo Balla 1913

Speed of a motorcyclefrozen in time


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5. Time as a Social Construct

Travel time as a social construct not new but the means

by which the quality of it can be maximised and highly valued

Understanding how people use and experience travel time

1. Embodied and relational time

2. Cultural constructs of time

3. Social differences

Need to balance economic values of time and speed withan deeper understanding of values and preferences


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6. Conclusions

1. Travel can no longer be seen only as a derived demandwith no positive value in the activity of travel it has

more than instrumental value2. It has value in terms of experience, reliability and quality

meaning that issues of travel distance need to be

firmly embedded in an understanding of behaviour andculture

3. Commodification of time results in the dominance of one

aspect of time travel time but the reality is morecomplex on links between technology, flexibility in theuse of time, compression of time, and reorganisation of

networks


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4. Distance increases have been the consequence of

higher speeds and stable time budgets

5. The sustainable mobility paradigm argues for shorterdistances, slower travel and more attention being

given to the quality of the experience

6. Travel in the city is seen as a multitude of shorterjourneys using combinations of walk , cycle and

public transport

7. The role of the car is limited rented or shared andthe dominance of the city car culture is challenged

8. Such a vision addresses the economic, social and

environmental concerns that are central to thetransport debate


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This painting of the "Dynamism of a Cyclist" 1913 by

Umberto Boccioni demonstrates the Futurist interest infilm. Borrowing from Cubism, the Futurists were interestedin the dynamics of speed and the simultaneity of theimage in motion. Boccioni also created sculptures, whichattempted to free the object from its traditional status,

creating instead, a fluid medium infused by technologyand raw energy.

This third painting

from the Futuristsillustrates the needto rebalance thedominant speed

time transport

paradigm, and toreduce travel

distance throughthe adoption of the

sustainable mobilityparadigm

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Banister_The Trilogy of Distance, Speed and Time # 2011